Electrohydraulic operating unit for adjustable bedframes



Jan. 15, 1952 E. v. SCHNIPPEL ETAL 2,582,565

ELECTROHYDRAULIC OPERATING UNIT FOR ADJUSTABLE BEDFRAMEIS Filed March 15, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Edward V. Schm'ppe/ Norbert E .Schm'ppe/ Donald D. Miller INVENTORS Jan. 15, 1952 E. v. SCHNIPPEL EI'AL 6 ELECTROHYDRAULIC OPERATING UNIT FOR ADJUSTABLE BEDFRAMES Filed March 15, 1948 3 SheetsSheet 2 Edward V. Schnippe/ I00 //2 100 Norbert E SchnIppeI Donald D. Miller INVEN TORS.

BY MM 8% Jan. 15, 1952 E. v. SCHNIPPEL VETAL 2,582,565

ELECTROHYDRAULIC OPERATING UNIT FOR ADJUSTABLE BEDFRAMES 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 15, 1948 Fig. 4.

Fig.6.

Fig. 7.

Edward V Sc/rmppe/ Norbert F. Sum/lapel Donald 0. Miller INVENTORS.

Patented Jan. 15, 1952 ELECTROHYDRAULIC OPERATING UNIT FOR ADJUSTABLE BEDFRAMES Edward V. Schnippel, Norbert F. Schnippel, and Donald D. Miller, Piqua, Ohio Application March 15, 1948, Serial No. 14,976

Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in hospital beds in which the conventional manually operated device for raisin and lowering the head and foot members of the mattress support is replaced by an electrically driven hydraulic device.

The primary object of this invention is to provide greater ease and convenience of operation. By removing the conventional screw and nut construction, maintenance costs are materially lowered if not entirely eliminated.

Yet another object of the invention is the provision of an operating unit having novel manually operable means for simultaneously turning on the electric motor and the pump and actuating selector valves in such a manner as to feed hydraulic fluid to cylinders operatively connected to the head and foot members.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of an operating unit for adjustably raising and/or lowering the head and foot members of the mattress support of a hospital bed by an electrically driven hydraulic device having a pair of cylinders and associated pistons and piston rods pivotally secured to the head and foot members and a novel selector valve means for directing hydraulic fluid to either or both cylinders for actuating the pistons. This novel selector valve means also directs the fluid to either side of the pistons in the cylinders for automatically raising or lowering the head and foot members to any height desired.

These, together with various ancillary objects and features of the invention which will later become apparent as the following description proceeds, are attained by the device, a preferred embodiment of which has been illustrated by way of example only in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an adjustable bed frame with the operating unit or device of the instant invention attached thereto;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the device'separated from the bed frame;

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view through the power unit showing the control mechanism, pump, and selector valves;

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view through the power unit taken substantially on the plane of section line 44 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is another vertical sectional view through the power unit taken substantially on the plane of section line 55 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through the selector valve means taken substantially on the plane of section line 6-6 of Figure 3;

Figure '7 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through the selector valve means taken substantially on the plane of section line |'I of Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken substantially on the'plane of section line HofFlxure6;and

Figure 9 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line 8-9 of Figure 6.

Specific reference is now made to the drawings. In the several views in the accompanying drawings and in the following specification, similar reference characters indicate corresponding elements throughout.

Generally indicated at 10 is a hospital bed frame having conventional adjustable head and foot members l2 and I4 respectively and transverse actuating bars or rods l6 and I8. Positioned between the rods are a pair of cylinders 20 and 22, each cylinder being provided with closure plates 24 and 26. Removably secured as by bolts or screws 28 to each of the plates 24 is a vertical lug 30 which is provided with a horizontal aperture 32 through which is journaled the rods i6 and I8. The closure plate 26 carries a central aperture 34 through which is journaled a piston rod 36 having a piston (not shown) secured to one end and disposed with the cylinder. To the other extremity of the piston rod is secured a longitudinal connecting block 38 carrying a transverse aperture through which is journaled a pin 40. A pair of spaced links 42 are pivotally secured to the pin 40 and fixedly secured to the rods I6 or l8.

To each of the closure plates 24 and 26 is attached a pair of fluid conveying conduits 44 and 46 which are communicative with the interior of each cylinder. These conduits are in turn communicative with the interior of a housing 48 in which will be found a motor, a pump, selector valves, and mercury switches which will be set forth in greater detail hereinafter. The housing is fabricated of metal and is substantially in the form of a box having an integral upstanding reduced curved portion 50 for housing a motor (not shown). A vertical plate 52 is provided in the housing which divides it into a reservoir portion 54 and a portion 56 for retaining the mercury switches.

Positioned in the reservoir portion 54 beneath the motor and in operative engagement therewith is a pump 58. Leading from the outlet side of the, pump is a conduit 60 carrying a pressure release valve 62. This conduit is, in turn, connected to two further conduits 64 and 66 which are in operative engagement with the interior of a pair of generally cylindrical selector valve housings 68 and 10 which are suitably secured to the interior of the housin 48 by means of brackets 12. A pair of cover plates 14 are removably secured as by bolts or screws 16 to the ends of the cylindrical housing portion 18.

The cylindrical portion 18 is provided with a pair of spaced transverse bores and 82 which engage a pair of pipes 84 and 86. These pipes extend through apertures in the side walls of Q the housing 48 and are coupled as at B8 to the fluid-conveying conduits 44 and 45.

In radial alignment with the bores 89 and 82 are found another pair of spaced transverse bores or ports 90 and 92 which are operatively connected to a pair of conduits or pipes 94 and 96 which, in turn, communicate with a single pipe or conduit 98 perpendicular to said conduits 94 and 96, This same arrangement obtains for the housing Til connected with the conduit 66 leading to the pump 58.

Rotatably journaled in each cylindrical portion I8 through the cover plates is a shaft 98 which extends through the forward housing portion 56 and carries at its extremity a hand knob 100. To the other extremity of the shaft 98 is afiixed a pair of spaced parallel selector valves I9! and I92 so positioned in the cylindrical portion 78 as to be in radial alignment with the conduits 94 and 34 and the conduits 96 and 86. Substantially in the center of t e cylindrical portion 19 and between the valves is a spacer element I94. The valves are positioned on the shaft 98 at such an angle to each other that upon rotation of the knob N to set the valves as shown in Figures 8 and 9, port 99 is open and port 92 is closed. Fluid will be pumped through conduits 98, 94 and 94 and subsequently to one of the conduits 44. The fluid from the valve housing '19 will enter cylinder 22 beyond the piston therein, lowering the head frame [2. Note the direction of the arrows in Figure 8. Fluid will then return via conduits 49 and 88 to cylindrical portion 78. See Figure 9. From this position, a turn of the knob 90 degrees counter-clockwise will reverse this operation, raising the head frame It. This operation duplicated in selector valve housing 63.

In the housing section 59 and secured to the plate 52 is a terminal box lei} carrying a cable Hi8 connected to an electric source (not shown). A pair of plates Ill] and H2 having transverse apertures at their extremities are fixedly journaled on the valve-actuating shafts 9G. The other extremities carry a pair of clamps H and 6, each of which supports a pair of mercury switches H9 and I29. Suitable electric cables in and I24 connect each of these switches with the terminal box. Thus, by merely turning the hand knob I90 in one direction one of the mercury switches makes contact with the electric source, starts the motor and pump, and at the same time the selector valves I01 and I02 can be set at any desired position. A slight reverse turn of the knob disconnects the current. A substantial reverse turn of the knob actuate-s the other mercury switch.

In view of the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, it isbelieved that a clear understanding of the device will be quite apparent to those skilled in this art. A more detailed description is accordingly deemed unnecessary.

It is to be understood, however, that even though there is herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, the

invention, what is conduits connecting each of said cylinders to a reservoir, selector means in the reservoir associated with said pump and said conduits, electric switches for starting and stopping the motor and hand-operated means for simultaneously actuating the switches and the selector means whereby fluid may be directed to the cylinders, said selector means including a pair of valve cylinders, each valve cylinder including a first pair of pipes connected to said pump, a second pair of pipes connected to said conduits, valves operatively connected to said hand-actuated means so positioned in said cylinders whereby fluid may be selectively caused to flow from one of the pipes in the first pair to one of the pipes in the second pair, the flow from one of the second pipes leading to one side of the motor piston and returned from the other side of the motor piston to the other of the second pipes, said hand-operated means including a pair of shafts, each shaft extending through each valve cylinder and rotatably journaled in the reservoir housing, and hand knobs carried by the shafts externally of the housing.

2. The combination of claim 1 and a pair of of mercury switches carried by said reservoir housing operatively connected to each of said shafts.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein each of said first pipes is in radial alignment with each of said second pipes.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said valves are disposed in each of said valve cylinders opposite said aligned pipes, and wherein said valve cylinder is provided with dividers interposed between the valves.

5. In an operating unit having a pair of hydraulic cylinders and pistons therein, a pump and a motor for operating the pump; a pair of con-- each valve cylinder including a first pair of pipes connected to said pump, a second pair of pipes connected to said conduits, valves operatively connected to said hand-operated means so posi-.

tioned in said cylinders whereby fluid may be selectively caused to flow from one of said first pipe means to one of said second pipe means, the flow from said one of said second pipe means leading to one side of the motor piston and returned from the other side of the motor piston to the other of said second pipe means.

EDWARD V. SCHNIPPEL. NORBERT F. SCI-INIPPEL. DONALD D. MILLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,344,490 Downie June 22, 1920 2,168,649 Johnson Aug. 8, 1939 2,217,783 Bell Oct. 15, 1940 2,259,439 De Ganahl Oct. 21, 1941 2,263,784 Peterson Nov. 25, 1941 2,391,492

Turchan et al Dec. 25, 1945 

